BAR CODED BOARDING PASS

(BCBP)

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Effective Date: 1st June, 2018

Seven Edition

Page | 1
 DISCLAIMER. The information contained in this publication
is subject to constant review in the light of changing
government requirements and regulations. No reader
should act on the basis of any such information without
referring to applicable laws and regulations and/or without
taking appropriate professional advice.

Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy,

the International Air Transport Association shall not be held
responsible for loss or damage caused by errors,
omissions, misprints or misinterpretation of the contents
hereof.

Furthermore, the International Air Transport Association

expressly disclaims all and any liability to any person,
whether a purchaser of this publication or not, in respect of
anything done or omitted, and the consequences of
anything done or omitted, by any such person in reliance on
the contents of this publication.

No part of the Common Use Passenger Processing

Systems Implementation Guide may be reproduced, recast,
reformatted or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording
or any information storage and retrieval system, without the
prior written permission from:

International Air Transport Association

800 Place Victoria, P.O. Box 113
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4Z 1M1
© IATA 2017

Page | 2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 6
1.1. Background..................................................................................................................... 6
1.2. About Bar Coded Boarding Pass .................................................................................... 6

2. KEY BCBP COMPONENTS ................................................................ 11

2.1. 2D bar codes ................................................................................................................ 11
2.2. BCBP Standard (Resolution 792) ................................................................................. 14
2.3. Boarding pass ............................................................................................................... 26
2.4. Mobile and Web BCBP ................................................................................................. 27
2.5. Mobile BCBP ................................................................................................................ 28
2.6. Departure Control System ............................................................................................ 32

3. MEDIA USED AS BOARDING PASSES ............................................. 35

3.1. Mobile phones (NFC).................................................................................................... 35
3.2. Biometrics ..................................................................................................................... 36

APPENDIX A - RESOURCES .................................................................... 37

A.1 Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................ 37
A.2 Industry Groups ............................................................................................................ 38
A.3 Reference Documents .................................................................................................. 39

APPENDIX B - BCBP SAMPLES .............................................................. 41

B.1 BCBP printed at home .................................................................................................. 42
B.2 BCBP printed at a kiosk ................................................................................................ 47
B.3 Mobile BCBP ................................................................................................................ 48
APPENDIX C - PDF417 ........................................................................................................... 52

APPENDIX D - AZTEC ............................................................................... 55

APPENDIX E - DATAMATRIX ................................................................... 56

APPENDIX F - QR CODE .......................................................................... 57

Page | 3
 TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1 - Availability of boarding passes per check-in channel..................................................... 7

Figure 2 - Comparison table between 2D bar code and 1D bar code ............................................ 8
Figure 3 - Example of a PDF417 bar code courtesy of British Airways ........................................ 11
Figure 4 - Example of an Aztec code courtesy of Air France / KLM ............................................. 12
Figure 5 - Bar code average size of BCBP samples .................................................................... 13
Figure 6 - Format M example one flight leg .................................................................................. 20
Figure 7 - Format M example two flight legs ................................................................................ 22
Figure 8 - Data flow of passenger information at check-in ........................................................... 26
Figure 9 - One bar code cell displayed in 1, 2 or 3 pixel width ..................................................... 29
Figure 10 - Example of grading scale for measuring print quality of a PDF417 bar code ............ 31
Figure 11 - Data flow in a CUPPS environment ........................................................................... 33
Figure 12 - ICC standard defined in IATA Resolution 791 ........................................................... 35
Figure 13 - Sample of LH Home Printed Boarding Pass .............................................................. 42
Figure 14 - Sample of KL Home Printed Boarding Pass .............................................................. 43
Figure 15 - Sample of UA BCBP Home Printed Boarding Pass ................................................... 44
Figure 16 - Example of web check-in seat selection courtesy of British Airways ......................... 45
Figure 17 - Sample of BCBP printed from the British Airways web site ....................................... 46
Figure 18 - Sample of BCBP printed from the UA kiosk ............................................................... 47
Figure 19 - Sample BCBP iPhone Wallet courtesy of Lufthansa.................................................. 48
Figure 20 - Sample of mobile BCBP courtesy of UA .................................................................... 49
Figure 21 - Sample of UA smartphone full mobile boarding pass ................................................ 50
Figure 22 - Sample of UA iPhone Wallet boarding pass .............................................................. 51
Figure 23 - Structure of the PDF417 symbol as defined in the ISO/IEC 15438 ........................... 52
Figure 24 - PDF417 is composed of 4 elements whose widths add up to 17 modules ................ 53
Figure 25 - Schematic showing a scan line crossing rows of the PDF417 symbol ...................... 53

Page | 4
 ACRONYMS

Please refer to the glossary in the Appendix A.1 for definitions.

1D One dimension
2D Two dimensions
ADL Additions and Deletions List
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ATB Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass
BCBP Bar Coded Boarding Pass
BGR Boarding Gate Reader
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
CRS Computerised Reservation System
CUPPS Common Use Passenger Processing Systems
CUSS Common Use Self Service
DCS Departure Control System
DfT Department for Transport
DPAF Direction de la Police aux Frontières
DPI Dots per inch
e-BP Electronic Boarding Pass
ET Electronic Ticketing
GPP General Purpose Printer
IATA International Air Transport Association
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
I.D. Identification
ISO International Organisation for Standardisation
PDF417 Portable Data File 417
PECTAB Parametric Table
PNL Passenger Name List
PNR Passenger Name Record
RFID Radio Frequency Identification
RFP Request for Proposals
TSA Transportation Security Administration

Page | 5
1. INTRODUCTION
The content of this BCBP Implementation Guide is intended to be used as guidance material
when airlines would like to implement Bar Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP). Please note that this
implementation guide should be considered when applicable subject to local requirements.

Additionally, this document complements Resolution 792 by providing further information and
examples.

*Note: Version 6th of the implementation guide was omitted to match the RESO792 current version. RESO792 version
7 and Implementation Guide 7th edition are now aligned.

This guide is not a definitive or binding document. In this context, any comments, suggestions or
proposals for enhancements are welcome and should be directed to the BCBP group of experts
at [email protected].

1.1. Background

Bar Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP) started as a project as part of the Simplifying the Business
program. IATA concentrated its efforts originally on five core projects:

 E-ticketing (ET)
 Bar-Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP)
 IATA e-freight
 Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) Check-in
 Radio Frequency ID (RFID) for aviation

1.2. About Bar Coded Boarding Pass

1.2.1. The BCBP standard

The Passenger Service Conference 2004, in unanimously approving Resolution 792, set BCBP
as an industry standard.
The IATA standard known as “Resolution 792 Bar Coded Boarding Pass” defines “the required
characteristics of the elements and format of the Bar Code on the Boarding Pass”. Its purpose is
to provide solutions for an Electronic Ticket world and to fully replace the previous standard for
boarding passes known as “Resolution 722c Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass – Version 2”. The
Passenger Services Conference approved in 2008 a sunset date of 31 December 2010, which
corresponded to the mandate for 100% BCBP set by IATA’s Board of Governors. It confirms that
100% BCBP corresponds to the elimination of mag stripes for boarding passes.

The BCBP standard defines PDF417, Aztec, Datamatrix and QR code as the symbologies to be
used to encode the data on paper boarding passes. The BCBP standard assumes the above
symbologies conform to the ISO specification available in the public domain. It also defines that a
mobile phone can be used as a boarding pass (mobile BCBP) provided that it can display one of
three selected 2D matrix codes (Aztec, Datamatrix and QR code).

Page | 6
 1.2.2. The rationale for BCBP
Boarding passes are delivered through four channels: check-in desks, self-service kiosks, web
sites and mobile phones. A BCBP can be obtained through each channel (see fig. 1).

Availability of boarding BCBP

passes per check-in channel
Desk X
Kiosk X
Web site X
Mobile X

Figure 1 - Availability of boarding passes per check-in channel

With the elimination of paper tickets, the boarding document does not carry a flight coupon
anymore. This allows a more flexible format for the boarding pass.

The passenger can now print a boarding pass at home, as the document can be printed on
simple paper. Passengers can either go to the “bag drop” area or bypass the check-in desks and
go directly to security.

Moreover, the boarding pass may now contain all the legs of the journey, instead of one
document per leg, as was previously the case.

The main benefits come from the change in the check-in process which:

 Allows passengers to check-in online,

 Simplifies the passenger’s experience and removes airport check-in hassles,
 Relieves congested airport check-in halls,
 Creates new marketing opportunities.

There are also savings coming from the change in the coding technology:

 General Purpose Printers replace boarding passes printers

 Bar code readers replace magnetic stripe readers

1.2.3. Comparison between BCBP and other solutions

There are two main business cases for the adoption of the BCBP standard:
 Either the airline is using boarding passes with magnetic stripes
 Alternatively, the airline is using boarding passes with 1D bar codes.

Page | 7
The following table (see fig. 2) compares the BCBP standard to the 1D bar code, which is not an
IATA standard:

Format type IATA 1D bar

standard 2D code
bar code
Benefits
Home Printing Yes Yes
Plain paper stock Yes Yes
Mobile solution for security points Yes Yes
Interlining – through check-in Yes No
Multiple segments Yes No
Interoperability Yes No
Costs
Low cost equipment Yes Yes
Low maintenance Yes Yes
Low migration cost Yes No
Operations
Accepted at security in every airport Yes No
Installed based in every airport Yes Yes
Fall back solution when system fails Yes Yes
Innovations
Allows future use of mobile phones Yes Yes
Allows future storage of biometrics Yes No

Figure 2 - Comparison table between 2D bar code and 1D bar code

1.2.4. Key differentiators between the IATA 2D standard and the non-
standardized alternatives

Differentiator Description IATA 2D standard Non-Standardized

Alternatives

Interline through Boarding passes The IATA standard Issuing a boarding pass
check-in for the entire enables each interline for a segment requires
journey on interline through check-in partner knowing the type of bar
partner flights to issue a standard code used by the carrier.
boarding pass for another Many types of 1D bar
segment on a different codes are used (e.g.
carrier. code 128, code 2-of-5)
and the layout of the
data in each code may
vary.
Multiple Enables a single Fitting several segments 1D bar code documents
segments boarding pass valid on one document saves can also handle only
for multiple flight paper, for the customer one segment.
segments on the and the carrier who have
same journey. to print one page in total

Page | 8
 instead of one page per
segment and reduces
hassle for the passenger.
Interoperability The systems The standard guarantees When issuing a 1D bar
operate together that when a carrier wants code the carrier should
correctly on to issue a 2D bar coded make sure that the gate
Common Use boarding pass in an readers and kiosk
systems. airport, it can rely on an printers are capable of
IATA standard. printing and reading the
format and layout of the
bar code, as well as
check that the local
DCS/boarding
application will handle
the data correctly.
Biometrics Biometrics enable Storing the image of the A 1D bar code is limited
a secure ID check fingerprint is only possible to 30 characters on a
at boarding. A on a smartcard. However typical boarding pass
template a template with 256 and cannot be used to
containing finger characters could be used store biometrics.
print data is stored to represent a fingerprint,
on the boarding which could be stored in a
pass. 2D bar code, for instance
in the individual airline
use field.

1.2.5. Main considerations

 Automated Boarding Control: the solutions selected in this comparison have to meet the
pre-requisite of Automated Boarding Control as in Recommended Practice 1789. They
also need to rely on a mature technology.
 Acceptance at security check points: agents at the security check points today perform a
visual check of the boarding pass. Acceptance may be an issue for home printed
boarding passes, which are printed on plain paper. If the security staffs are not trained to
recognise such documents, they might not let the passenger go airside.
 System failure: The stub of the ATB is the passenger receipt whereas the main part is for
the airline’s use. If the system fails, the airline can still rely on a manual count of the
boarding passes as a fall back flight closing solution. The home printed boarding pass
does not provide such a solution, unless the BCBP includes a tear-off part for the airline
to use.
 Mobile phones: Using the mobile phone as a boarding pass involves displaying the bar
code on the screen of the mobile phone.

Page | 9
2. KEY BCBP COMPONENTS
The BCBP standard covers the data and symbologies for paper or mobile devices to be used as
boarding passes. However, it does not cover the distribution methods (how to send the bar
codes to the devices) or other aspects of the implementation.

This section describes the technical data elements contained in the BCBP in addition to the
various symbologies used.

2.1. 2D bar codes

2.1.1. PDF417
The major element added by the BCBP standard is the two-dimensional (2D) bar code displayed
on the document.

There are several bar code generating algorithms, known as symbologies, to encode data into a
bar code that is available for public use. One of those symbologies, called PDF417, widely used
for logistics and access control applications around the world, has been selected in the BCBP
standard. Read more about PDF417 in the Appendix C.

PDF417 was chosen initially as it was the first open standard that became available and able to
cater for multi leg flight information.

Figure 3 shows an actual PDF417 bar code from a British Airways Bar Coded Boarding Pass
containing the following data:

M1LEOPOLD/EMR EZQ7O92 GVALHRBA 00723319C002F00009100

Figure 3 - Example of a PDF417 bar code courtesy of British Airways

The BCBP standard enables the encoding up to four flight legs in the same BCBP. The multiple
flight capability reduces hassle for the passenger who needs just one document for the whole
journey. Multi-leg boarding passes enabled by the M format are explained in more details in the
‘data format’ section.

In order to ensure interoperability, data encoded into the 2D bar code should strictly comply with
the IATA standard.

It must be noted that PDF417 is not scalable for large amount of data especially for a trip
containing four leg segments with all conditional elements filled-in.

Page | 11
 2.1.2. Aztec
Aztec is one of the three symbologies selected in the BCBP standard for mobile and printed
boarding passes. The Aztec code is defined in the ISO standard 24778. Aztec codes are square,
with a square bullseye pattern in the center.

Figure 4 - Example of an Aztec code courtesy of Air France / KLM

The storage capacity of Aztec enables to encode 900 alphanumeric characters in an 83x83 cells
code.

Matrix codes, like Aztec, fit more easily on the screens of mobile phones than linear codes,
simply because most screens are squarer than linear. The finding pattern in the center makes it
also easier to read because the center of the screen is less likely to be affected by a lens than
the edge of the code.

Notes
 The three 2D matrix codes selected in the BCBP standard are all ISO standards, in the
public domain, that can be used free of charge (no licence fee).
 More details about the symbologies can be found in the Appendices D, E and F.

Recommendations
 Airlines can choose any of the three symbologies for their mobile boarding passes. The
choice can be based on regional preferences (e.g. QR in Asia), on technical
preferences (e.g. Aztec finding pattern in the centre) or other considerations (e.g. the
airline previous experience with one symbology). *Note Airlines can choose any of the
four symbologies for the printed boarding passes.
 Scanners used to read mobile boarding passes should support all of the three
symbologies.

2.1.3. Datamatrix

Datamatrix is one of the three symbologies selected in the BCBP standard for mobile and printed
boarding passes. The Datamatrix code is defined in the ISO standard 16022. Datamatrix codes
are square, with a finding pattern on the perimeter.

The storage capacity of Datamatrix enables to encode 862 alphanumeric characters in an 80x80
cells code.

2.1.4. QR code
QR code is one of the three symbologies selected in the BCBP standard for mobile and printed
boarding passes. QR code is defined in the ISO standard 18004. QR codes are square, with a
finding pattern in three corners of the matrix.

Page | 12
The storage capacity of QR code enables to encode 938 alphanumeric characters in a code size
17 (85x85 cells) with low error correction.

QR code was designed to support Kanji characters (Chinese characters used in the Japanese
writing system).

2.1.5. Size of the bar codes

The size of the bar code is not defined in the standard. This section provides recommendations
on the size of the bar code printed on paper.

The bar code should be:

 Large enough to cope with the limited resolution capacity of the readers,
 Small enough to fit within the limited scan width or window size of the readers,
 Close enough to the edge of the page as the foot of a mounted scanner may prevent
reading

Bar code size Min Max Average

Number of columns 4 12 7
Number of rows 9 34 18
Length (mm) 29 72 50
Height (mm) 9 22 13
Dim (Height/Rows) 0.35 1.11 0.79

Figure 5 - Bar code average size of BCBP samples

For an optimal read rate it is recommended to design bar codes that aim at the average size
above, and to ensure that all the equipment used will produce bar codes within the range above.

Care should be exercised to take the above points into consideration when evaluating the overall
dimension of the bar code image after factoring in error correction and non BCBP data that
impacts bar code size.

Page | 13
 2.2. BCBP Standard (Resolution 792)

2.2.1. Data format

Airline issue one boarding pass per passenger. Before the BCBP standard, airlines issued one
boarding pass per flight leg (if an itinerary segment contains two legs with the same flight
number, one boarding pass per leg is needed to indicate the seat number). The BCBP standard
enables airlines to encode either one flight leg or several legs into a single bar code and
boarding pass. The format of the data in the 2D bar code is defined in the BCBP standard. For a
definition of terms used in the items, refer to the IATA RP 1008 ‘GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY
USED AIR PASSENGER TERMS’.

Definitions
 “OPERATIONAL LEG” means a flight that is physically operated and identified by its
airline designator and flight number. Any other airline designators and/or flight
numbers associated with the same flight are considered to be non-operational flights.
 “FUNNEL FLIGHT” means a flight composed of two or more member flights, which is
identified by the airline designator and flight number of one of the members. Legs AD
and DE comprise Segment AE (ADE), and are identified by the member flight number
DL 123.

Recommendation
The standard requires that airlines populate:
 All the mandatory items. If an item is not available at time of issuance of the boarding
pass (e.g. seat number for a stand-by passenger), the item should be populated with
blanks, so that the number of characters is correct.
 The conditional items available in their system. If an item is not used by the airline
system for the flight (e.g. document verification or selectee indicator), the item should
be populated with blanks. The size of the field can be defined if some of the last fields
are not used.
 The airline individual use item at their convenience. An item defined in the mandatory
or conditional field should be encoded in those fields, not in the airline field.

The BCBP standard contains fields and items defined and agreed by airlines. It is in the interest
of the airline to strictly comply with the data format, so that interline partners and third parties can
read the data. If the data do not comply with the standard format, the passenger will face the
consequences of the partner or third party requiring the bar code data, e.g. the operator of a
lounge or fast track scanning boarding passes not to grant access to the facility.

There are 3 levels of 2D bar code non-compliance with the BCBP standard:

Level Description Consequence

1 - Item formatting The item is not formatted correctly, e.g. Risk of un-readable value
leading zeros or trailing blanks missing
2 - Item value The value encoded is not defined, e.g. a Un-readable value
proprietary value for compartment code or
seat number
3 - Field formatting The field does not contain the correct Un-readable bar code
items, or items do not have correct lengths

Page | 14
Attachment A in Resolution 792 defines the formatting of each item. Alpha-numerical items are
usually left justified with trailing blanks (e.g. passenger name DESMARAIS/LUC______),
whereas numerical items usually have leading zeros (e.g. seat number 001A).

Attachment C in Resolution 792 defines the values acceptable for each item. For example, the
values for the “source of check-in” are defined in this attachment, and the values for the
“Baggage tag licence plate number” are in the BSM specifications, RP1745. This is also where
the sizes of the variable length fields are defined.

Recommendation
The following fields define a unique BCBP, without storing personal data:
 Date of flight (Julian date)
 Operating carrier code
 Flight number
 Check-in Sequence number
 From city / airport code

Sequence number should be unique for a given flight. However an airline may use a blank
sequence number for an infant. The seat (usually INF) number helps to differentiate the infant
from the adult.

If a duplicate BCBP is detected at security check:

 It may be that a passenger went airside, came back landside, and returned airside.
 Otherwise the airline and other agents are alerted that there is a duplicate.

Notes on mandatory items (Please refer to Glossary of terms of RESO792)

Note on item 11 – Passenger name

Certain passenger names have specific characters which are sometimes not correctly translated
because of host system limitations. Please refer Glossary of terms of RESO792 and to section
2.6 Name Element in AIRIMP to see how to best handle these specific cases.

Note on item 253 – Electronic Ticket Indicator

Field 253 distinguishes passengers traveling on an electronic ticket versus a ticketless product.

Note on item 71 – Compartment Code

This field uses the code of the compartment (call Cabin Type) and not the booking fare class.
Please refer to Resolution 728 for the list of codes

Notes on calculations of fields 6, 10 and 17

Note on calculations of fields 6, 10 and 17 (please refer to examples 1 to 6 in Resolution 792)

Item 10 (Field size of following structured message – unique) Size of data used within the
subsequent fields (item 15 to 32), in ASCII-printed hexadecimal Item 17 (Field size of following
structured message – repeated). Size of data used within the subsequent conditional and airline
individual fields. (Item 142 to 254) in ASCII-printed hexadecimal
Item 6. Size of data used within the subsequent conditional and airline individual fields (item 8
to 254, plus item 4) in ASCII-printed hexadecimal

Page | 15
Notes on conditional items

Note on item 12 – Source of check-in

This field reflects the check-in channel where the customer initiated the check-in (e.g. set
values of attachment C Reso 792)

Note on item 14 – Source of boarding pass issuance

This field not necessarily needs to be the same as item 12. For example, customer may check-
in online but retrieve the boarding pass at the airport.

Note on item 22 – Date of issue of boarding pass (Julian Date)

The Julian date is formed of the last digit of the year the boarding pass was issued and the
number of elapsed days since the beginning of that particular year. If the number of elapsed
days is less than 10, add two “0” after the year. If the number of elapsed days is less than 100,
add one “0” after the year.

Example: 1st of January 2016 shall read as: 6001.

Another example: 31st of December 2016 (leap year) shall read as: 6366.

Note on item 23 – Baggage tag licence plate number (s)

This field allows carriers to populate baggage tag numbers and the number of consecutive
bags.
It contains 13 characters corresponding to the 10 digit bag tag number, as per BCM
specifications, Reso 740 and 3 digits identifying the number of consecutive tags:
 1: leading digit – 0 for interline tag, 1 for fall-back tag, 2 for interline rush tag
 2-4: carrier numeric code
 5-10: carrier initial tag number (leading zeros)
 11-13: number of consecutive tags (allows for up to 999 tags)

Example: If the passenger checks in two bags with consecutive numbers (e.g. tag numbers
0016111111 & 0016111112), field no. 23 shall read as: 0016111111002.
Another example: If the passenger checks in one bag (e.g. 0016111111), field no.23 shall read
as: 0016111111001.
First consecutive series of bag tag license plate number(s). The last 3 digits of the Baggage
tag License Plate Number(s) (field 23) designates the number of bags in that series: 001= 1
bag, 002= 2 bags, 007= 7 bags, etc. If additional tag numbers exist that are not consecutive
with the first series, populate field 31 for the next series and field 32 for a third series. A
maximum of 3 instances of consecutive bag series per passenger are able to be encoded in
the Boarding pass Barcode, using fields 23, 31, and 32 as necessary.

Note on items 31 and 32 – 1st and 2nd Non-Consecutive Baggage Tag License Plate Number
Airlines have the possibility to use fields 31 and 32 when they handle non-consecutive bags.
Both fields contain 13 characters corresponding to the 10digit bag tag number, as per BCM
specifications, Reso 740 and 3 digits identifying the number of non-consecutive tags.
When fields 31 and 32 are not used, they are not included in the calculation of field 10.

If additional tag numbers exist that are not consecutive with the first series (field 23), populate
field 31. The last 3 digits of the Baggage tag License Plate Number(s) (field 31) designates the
number of bags in that series: 001= 1 bag, 002= 2 bags, 007= 7 bags, etc. A maximum of 3
instances of consecutive bag series per passenger are able to be encoded in the Boarding
pass Barcode, using fields 23, 31, and 32 as necessary.

Page | 16
 If additional tag numbers exist that are not consecutive with the second series (field 31),
populate field 32. The last 3 digits of the Baggage tag License Plate Number(s) (field 32)
designates the number of bags in that series: 001= 1 bag, 002= 2 bags, 007= 7 bags, etc. A
maximum of 3 instances of consecutive bag series per passenger are able to be encoded in
the Boarding pass Barcode, using fields 23, 31, and 32 as necessary.

Page | 17
Note on item 18 – Selectee indicator
This field is used by some agencies for additional screening and it assists airlines to classify
customers that require additional inspection at airports in certain countries.

Best practice
Although field 18 is a conditional field, airlines are required to populate this item if they have
the information in their system. If the item is not used by the airline system, the item should be
populated with blanks.

Please note the changes made to field 18 in Resolution 792 – since version 6
Although field 18 is a conditional item, airlines travelling in and out of the US need to populate
this field as it is a mandatory field when United States travel is involved.

Example
When the passenger itinerary involves United States travel, this field should be populated with
the appropriate value (“0”, “1”, or “3”) which provides the vetting status of the passenger to
determine the type of screening the passenger will receive at U.S. airports. Note: The vetting
status value definitions are maintained by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration
(TSA)

Examples for illustration purposes:

Passenger itinerary #1:

1. Frankfurt (FRA) to London Heathrow (LHR) operated by Lufthansa: No change from Reso 792 -
Version 5
2.London Heathrow (LHR) to Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW) operated by United Airlines: No change from Reso
792 - Version 5
3.Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAS) operated by United Airlines: Field 18 must be
populated

Passenger itinerary #2:

1. New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) operated by American Airlines: Field 18 must be
populated
2. Chicago (ORD) to Las Vegas (LAS) operated by American Airlines: Field 18 must be
populated

Passenger itinerary #3:

1. Denver (DEN) to Los Angeles (LAX) operated by Southwest Airlines: Field 18 must be
populated
2. Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) operated by United Airlines: Field 18 must be
populated
3. Honolulu (HNL) to Sydney (SYD) operated by Qantas: Field 18 must be
populated
4. Sydney (SYD) to Auckland (AKL) operated by Qantas: No change from Reso 792 -
Version 5

Note on item 108 – International documentation verification

This field assists carriers to identify passengers requiring their travel documentation to be
verified (e.g. valid travel document).

Note on item 254 – Fast Track

This field reflects if the passenger is entitled to use a priority security or immigration lane.

Page | 18
 A fast track is a service offered to selected passengers to bypass the queue at a security
checkpoint. An agent controlling the passenger’s boarding pass decides whether to grant the
access to the fast track. The BCBP enables to automate the control, and consequently to
make it self-service.

Notes on airline only use item

Note on item 4 – For individual airline use

Airlines can populate this field with different entries such as but not limited to: frequent flyer
tier, passenger preferences, etc.

Notes on security items

Note on item 30 – Security data

The security field is a separate field that enables a third party to verify that the bar code data
was not tampered with.

The security field is optional and to be used only when required by the local security
administration. Typically, this field may contain a digital signature of variable length, the length
of the field and a type of security data (that defines the algorithm used). IATA is only providing
the structure for the signature to be stored in the bar code.

The bar code data (mandatory, optional and individual airline use fields) remain unchanged
and can be read regardless of the digital signature.

Page | 19
 2.2.2. Encoding one flight leg
The M format is used for single leg or multiple legs. Encoding one leg will set the value of ‘number of legs encoded’ to ‘1’. The
example below (see fig. 9) uses a fixed-length field with 60 positions, according to the BCBP standard.

New item Field Unique /

number Element Description Size repeated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Notes
1 Format Code 1 U M
5 Number of Legs Encoded 1 U 1
11 Passenger Name 20 U D E S M A R A I S / L U C
253 Electronic Ticket Indicator 1 U E
7 Operating carrier PNR Code 7 R A B C 1 2 3
Mandatory Items

26 From City Airport Code 3 R Y U L

38 To City Airport Code 3 R F R A
42 Operating carrier Designator 3 R A C
43 Flight Number 5 R 0 8 3 4
46 Date of Flight (Julian Date) 3 R 2 2 6 August 14th
71 Compartment Code 1 R F
104 Seat Number 4 R 0 0 1 A
107 Check-in Sequence Number 5 R 0 0 2 5
113 Passenger Status 1 R 1
6 Field Size of variable size field (Conditional + Airline item 4) 2 R 0 0 0 in Decimal = 00 in Hexiadecimal
8 Beginning of version number 1 U
9 Version Number 1 U
10 Field Size of follow ing structured message - unique 2 U
15 Passenger Description 1 U
12 Source of check-in 1 U
14 Source of Boarding Pass Issuance 1 U
Conditional items - Flight segment # 1

22 Date of Issue of Boarding Pass (Julian Date) 4 U

16 Document Type 1 U
21 Airline Designator of boarding pass issuer 3 U
23 Baggage Tag Licence Plate Number (s) 13 U
31 1st Non-Consecutive Baggage Tag Licensce Plate Number 13 U
32 2nd Non-Consecutive Baggage Tag Licensce Plate Number 13 U
17 Field Size of follow ing structured message - repeated 2 R
142 Airline Numeric Code 3 R
143 Document Form/Serial Number 10 R
18 Selectee indicator 1 R
108 International Documentation Verification 1 R
19 Marketing carrier designator 3 R
20 Frequent Flyer Airline Designator 3 R
236 Frequent Flyer Number 16 R
89 ID/AD Indicator 1 R
118 Free Baggage Allow ance 3 R
254 Fast Track 1 R
4 For individual airline use Var R
25 Beginning of Security Data 1 U ^
28 Type of Security Data 1 U 1
29 Length of Security Data 2 U 6 4 100 in Decimal = 64 in Hexadecimal
Security

30 Security Data 100 U G I W V C 5 E H 7 J N T 6 8 4 F V N J 9

1 W 2 Q A 4 D V N 5 J 8 K 4 F 0 L 0 G E continued from previous row
Q 3 D F 5 T G B N 8 7 0 9 H K T 5 D 3 D continued from previous row
W 3 G B H F C V H M Y 7 J 5 T 6 H F R 4 continued from previous row
1 W 2 Q A 4 D V N 5 J 8 K 4 F 0 L 0 G E continued from previous row

Figure 6 - Format M example one flight leg

Page | 20
 2.2.3. Encoding multiple flight legs

In the example below 2 flight legs are encoded, setting the value of ‘number of legs encoded’ to ‘2’ (see fig. 10).

New item Field Unique /

number Element Description Size repeated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Notes
1 Format Code 1 U M
5 Number of Legs Encoded 1 U 2
11 Passenger Name 20 U D E S M A R A I S / L U C
253 Electronic Ticket Indicator 1 U E
7 Operating carrier PNR Code 7 R A B C 1 2 3
Mandatory Items

26 From City Airport Code 3 R Y U L

38 To City Airport Code 3 R F R A
42 Operating carrier Designator 3 R A C
43 Flight Number 5 R 0 8 3 4
46 Date of Flight (Julian Date) 3 R 2 2 6 226 = August 14th
71 Compartment Code 1 R F
104 Seat Number 4 R 0 0 1 A
107 Check-in Sequence Number 5 R 0 0 2 5
113 Passenger Status 1 R 1
6 Field Size of variable size field (Conditional + Airline item 4) 2 R 4 D 77 in Decimal = 4D in Hexadecimal
8 Beginning of version number 1 U >
9 Version Number 1 U 6
10 Field Size of follow ing structured message - unique 2 U 1 8 24 in Decimal = 18 in Hexadecimal
15 Passenger Description 1 U 1
12 Source of check-in 1 U W
Conditional items - Flight segment # 1

14 Source of Boarding Pass Issuance 1 U W

22 Date of Issue of Boarding Pass (Julian Date) 4 U 6 2 2 5 6 = 2006, 225 = August 13th
16 Document Type 1 U B
21 Airline Designator of boarding pass issuer 3 U A C
23 Baggage Tag Licence Plate Number (s) 13 U 0 0 1 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 0 3
31 1st Non-Consecutive Baggage Tag Licence Plate Number 13 U
32 2nd Non-Consecutive Baggage Tag Licence Plate Number 13 U
17 Field Size of follow ing structured message - repeated 2 R 2 A 42 in Decimal = 2A in Hexadecimal
142 Airline Numeric Code 3 R 0 1 4
143 Document Form/Serial Number 10 R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
18 Selectee indicator 1 R Not applicable to that flight
108 International Documentation Verification 1 R 1
19 Marketing carrier designator 3 R A C
20 Frequent Flyer Airline Designator 3 R A C
236 Frequent Flyer Number 16 R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
89 ID/AD Indicator 1 R
118 Free Baggage Allow ance 3 R 2 0 K
254 Fast Track 1 R Y Fast Track eligible
4 For individual airline use Var R L X 5 8 Z

Page | 21
 7 Operating carrier PNR Code 7 R D E F 4 5 6
Mandatory Items - Flight 26 From City Airport Code 3 R F R A
segment # 2 38 To City Airport Code 3 R G V A
42 Operating carrier Designator 3 R L H
43 Flight Number 5 R 3 6 6 4
46 Date of Flight (Julian Date) 3 R 2 2 7
71 Compartment Code 1 R C
104 Seat Number 4 R 0 1 2 C
107 Check-in Sequence Number 5 R 0 0 0 2
113 Passenger Status 1 R 1
6 Field Size of variable size field (Conditional + Airline item 4) 2 R 2 E 46 in Decimal = 2E in Hexadecimal
17 Field Size of follow ing structured message - repeated 2 R 2 A 42 in Decimal = 2A in Hexasecimal
Conditional items - Flight

142 Airline Numeric Code 3 R 0 1 4

143 Document Form/Serial Number 10 R 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
segment # 2

18 Selectee indicator 1 R
108 International Documentation Verification 1 R 1
19 Marketing carrier designator 3 R A C
20 Frequent Flyer Airline Designator 3 R A C
236 Frequent Flyer Number 16 R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
89 ID/AD Indicator 1 R
118 Free Baggage Allow ance 3 R 2 P C
254 Fast Track 1 R N Fast Track Not eligible for this segement
4 For individual airline use Var R W Q
25 Beginning of Security Data 1 U ^
28 Type of Security Data 1 U 1
29 Length of Security Data 2 U 6 4 100 in Decimal = 64 in Hexadecimal
Security

30 Security Data 100 U G I W V C 5 E H 7 J N T 6 8 4 F V N J 9

1 W 2 Q A 4 D V N 5 J 8 K 4 F 0 L 0 G E continued from previous row
Q 3 D F 5 T G B N 8 7 0 9 H K T 5 D 3 D continued from previous row
W 3 G B H F C V H M Y 7 J 5 T 6 H F R 4 continued from previous row
1 W 2 Q A 4 D V N 5 J 8 K 4 F 0 L 0 G E continued from previous row

Figure 7 - Format M example two flight legs

Page | 22
 2.2.4. Version management
Resolution 792 was initially published in 2005. In the initial version two formats existed: M and S.
In 2007 the S format was removed from the standard.
In 2008, the standard was extended to mobile phones and some conditional items were added or
modified, setting the version number to 2.
In 2009, the version 3 of the BCBP standard includes a new optional security field, to be used
where a digital signature is required.
In 2011, the version 4 or the BCBP standard includes NFC format in addition to fields 31 and 32
for non-consecutive bag tags.
In 2013, the version 5 of the BCBP standard includes a fast track field.
In 2016, the version 6 of the BCBP standard includes new values for fields 253, 12 and 18, a
glossary of terms and a new example 6 for non-consecutive bag tags.
In 2018, the version 7 of the BCBP standard includes:
 Bar Code on Printed Boarding Pass the default Bar Code presented on printed boarding
pass is a 2-dimensional Bar Code in PDF417 standard containing a structure data
message (SDM), On the request from the Airlines we will extend the standards to allow
Aztec, Datamatrix or QR code formats on printed boarding pass those formats are
currently used on Electronic (Mobile) Boarding Pass only.

 Field 23 (Baggage Tag License Plate Number (s)): Last 3 digits have been changed to
follow RESO 740/RP1745 where 001= 1 bag, 002= 2 bags, 007= 7 on the version 6th of
RESO 792, 000= 1 bag.

 Field 6 (Field Size of variable size field): There was a change in the Implementation
Guide where the previous version stated: Items 8 to 118, Plus Item 4, and now Size of
data used within the subsequent conditional and airline individual fields (items 8 to 254,
plus item 4) in ASCII-printed hexadecimal. If not used, enter “00.”

 Field 10 (Field Size of following structured message - unique): There was a change in the
Implementation Guide where the previous version stated: Items 15 to 23 the updated
version: Size of data used within the subsequent fields (items 15 to 32), in ASCII-printed
hexadecimal. If not used, enter “00.” Should only count for the length of the conditional
data identified as unique. In other words, it is the sum of the length of items 15, 12, 14,
22, 16, 21, 23, 31 and 32."

Recommendation
The BCBP group recommends that:
 The effective date of any standard is the date of publication (June), unless mentioned
otherwise.
 Airlines should support the latest version and the previous version - currently 5 and 6 -
to allow for stakeholders to implement the new version.
 The best practice should be for airlines to support a new version no later than 1 year
after it becomes effective.

Page | 23
 2.2.5. E-Ticket Itinerary receipt
The BCBP standard allows including a 2D bar code on the ET Itinerary Receipt. The mandatory
data should all be populated except seat number and sequence number, which are available
only at time of check-in. However airlines offering seat pre-assignment are able to populate the
seat number. In the conditional data, only the item 16 ‘Document type’ must be populated, to
indicate that the document is an Itinerary Receipt, not a Boarding Pass. All the other fields are
optional.
Resolution 722f – Electronic Ticket Airline (6.2.1.7) and Resolution 722g – Electronic Ticket
Neutral (6.2.3.8) confirm this possibility from a ticketing perspective.

2.2.6. Digital signature

The security field is optional and to be used only when required by the local security
administration. Typically, this field may contain a digital signature of variable length, the length of
the field and a type of security data (that defines the algorithm used).

When it is used, the digital signature is part of a public key infrastructure (PKI): the airlines own
their private key, used to generate the digital signatures, and distribute their public keys to third
parties who need to verify the signatures.
Each signature is unique to an airline and a boarding pass: if the bar code data are modified,
they won’t match the signature any more. Moreover a signature cannot be generated without the
private key. Consequently only an airline can generate a boarding pass with a digital signature
and the bar code cannot be tampered with.

2.2.7. BCBP XML

The BCBP Working Group owns the business requirement document that defines the exchange
of BCBP data between an airline system and a third party, e.g. an airport security checkpoints.
The BCBP standard notes that IATA PADIS XML message standards shall be used for the
exchange of BCBP data. PADIS is defined under Resolution 783 – Passenger and Airport Data
Interchange Standards.

The message sent by the authority scanning the BCBP contains a header and the bar code data,
as outlined below. Some items are mandatory because they enable to identify the originator of
the message.
Field Name M/O Description Example Format Subtype Note

TRANSACTION_DATE_TIME M Message creation date/time (includes xsd:dateTime Expressed in UTC time or local time.
seconds and sub-seconds)

AIRPORT_CODE M Airport 3 letter code where the BCBP is LHR string

scanned

TERMINAL_CODE O Local code identifying an airport terminal T3 string Terminal identification where multiple
terminals exist under one airport code

ORIGINATOR_TYPE M Type of entity that scanned the BCBP Security string IATA codeset Airport, Security, Ground Handler,
and is sending the message Lounge, Parking, Hotel…

ORIGINATOR LOCATION O Location of entity performing the scan Point A 1-70an e.g., Lufthansa Senator Lounge
functions

DELIVERING_SYSTEM O Identifier of the delivering system of the TBD TBD Inverted form of the domain name. ex:
data if different from the originator (e.g. gov.ca.sfo or com.united
same system provided to two carriers on
different contracts, need to identify which
participant is sending the message)

TRANSACTION IDENTIFIER M A unique identifier to relate all messages Integer > 0 String 32 Used by sender to uniquely identify each
within a transaction message sent

AGENT ID O Agent sign id This would be the agent signed in using the
system doing the scanning ,when available

BARCODE_DATA M Data contained in the barcode Base64binary Some non printable data

Page | 24
The airline system receives a message and sends back a reply, as outlined below.

Field Name M/O Description Example Format Subtype Note

Reply M Yes or No Boolean

Reason code M* Code for the reason of a ‘no’ reply Integer

Free text O Free text provided by the airline String

Notes
 The scope of the BCBP XML business requirements document is to define the format
of messages exchanged between an airport security checkpoint and an airline system
when a BCBP is scanned.
 The scope is not to define how security agents decide which passenger can go through
the checkpoints and how to communicate their decisions with the passengers. The
BCBP XML messages do not interfere with the existing security processes.

The BCBP XML schema is on the IATA PADIS extranet:

https://extranet2.iata.org/sites/padis/Pages/XMLStandards.aspx

Recommendations
 The BCBP XML schema is published to ensure that the airlines and third parties who
wish to exchange BCBP data always do it in a consistent manner, to avoid
unnecessary duplication of efforts, potential misinterpretations and associated costs.
 However the development of data exchange should be based on a multilateral local
agreement. The BCBP XML schema is not encouraging such agreements, but
wherever those agreements take place it recommends the most efficient
implementation.
 The message sent back by the airline system validates the authenticity of the bar code
and the readiness of the passenger to fly. However the decision to let the passenger go
through the airport security checkpoint remains an airport security’s decision. It is also
the airport security’s decision to provide the passenger with explanation in case of
refusal.

Page | 25
 2.3. Boarding pass

2.3.1. Check-in data

When the boarding pass is issued at check-in, the IATA standard requires the input of some
specific data. Here is a typical flow of data introducing the PNR code (see fig. 11).

Carrier or
Operating Carrier Ground Handler

Print BCBP
2

Reservation process 1 Check-in process

(inventory system) (Carrier or GH DCS) 3
PNL / ADL

Read BCBP

Figure 8 - Data flow of passenger information at check-in

1. The reservation process of the operating carrier sends the Passenger Name Records
(PNR) to the check-in process
2. The check-in process enables the printing of the BCBP, either at check-in desk, kiosk or
on the web. Once the passenger is checked-in, a message is sent back to the check-in
process
3. The BCBP are read at the gate, messages are sent back as flown

The content of the Passenger Name List (PNL) and the Additions and Deletions List (ADL) are
described in the Recommended Practice 1708.

2.3.2. Layout of the boarding pass

Unlike Resolution 722c for ATB, Resolution 792 for BCBP does not define a standard layout of
the boarding pass. However the BCBP layout does have some constraints in order to guarantee
readability. As layouts may vary from one airline to another, staffs need to be trained to read and
accept the new documents.

The sections below provide recommendations to facilitate the implementation and interoperability
of BCBP.

2.3.3. Mandatory text

Recommended Practice 1706d, attachment A defines mandatory fields to be printed on a

boarding pass as this could have an influence on the size and positioning of the bar code.

Page | 26
It is recommended to use a bigger font for:
 Key passenger information such as boarding time and seat number
 The ET logo so that the ground handlers do not look for the coupon

2.3.4. Size of the boarding pass

Two sizes are currently used by IATA member airlines: the A4 or letter size and the identification
card size.

Size Description Dimensions

A4 / Letter - The international standard is ISO 216, which A4: 21 x 29.7 cm
defines A4, amongst other Letter: 8 1/2 x 11 inch
- In the US, Letter is the most commonly used
size
Identification Defined in ISO 7810. ID-1 is commonly used 8,56 x 5.40 cm
card for banking cards, driving licenses, loyalty 3.37 x 2.12 inch
cards and business cards

There are several advantages to this smaller size and one potential drawback. Passengers will
find it easier to store a credit card in their wallet (no need to fold) than folding an A4 page twice.
It also saves paper at the kiosk by 75% or increases the paper capacity of the kiosk by 300%.
The limit to this size is the quantity of information to be printed and the space available of the bar
code.

2.3.5. Boarding pass for infants

Airlines have different procedures regarding boarding passes and infants. When an adult travels
with an infant, some airlines deliver one boarding pass for both the adult and the infant, whereas
some airlines deliver two boarding passes, one for the adult and one for the infant.
In the first case, item 15 (Passenger description) should be set to the value 6 (adult with infant),
and in the second case, the value would be 0 for the adult boarding pass and 4 for the infant
boarding pass.
This item may be useful in particular for security checkpoints and self-boarding gates. Security
checkpoints that require scanning one boarding pass for every individual, adult or infant, and are
looking for duplicates, are likely to reject the infant on the ground that the same name / seat /
flight was already scanned (from the adult boarding pass). Item 15 may prevent this issue. At a
self-boarding gate, the item 15 set to 6 may allow a passenger carrying an infant to use the gate,
rather than scanning two boarding passes.

Recommendation
It is recommended that:
 Airlines issuing a separate boarding pass for infants enter INF in the seat number
 Airlines issuing a unique boarding pass for the adult travelling with an infant enter the
value 6 in the item 15 of the bar code

2.4. Mobile and Web BCBP

When you check in online (web check in), it reflects the status of the passengers and a lot of the
fields will be unknown or reflect the condition at that particular moment. If the Boarding pass is

Page | 27
not re-issued / refreshed, fields would not be updated (e.g. passenger status, baggage tag
license plate number).

Web page examples can be found under Appendix B – BCBP Sample.

2.5. Mobile BCBP

2.5.1. Selecting a symbology

New symbologies, known as matrix codes, were needed because PDF417 is not adapted to
being displayed on a screen. There are dozens of matrix codes available in the market. IATA has
selected 3 symbologies because they are all ISO standard available in the public domain, widely
used around the world, however IATA has no preference for one of the 3 symbologies.

The arguments for each symbology are:

 Aztec: no need for a quiet zone, finding pattern in the middle, both should make it easier
to read on mobile
 Datamatrix: well supported and used in various industries
 QR (quick response): quick to read, widely used in Asian countries

Airlines may choose any of them according to their preferences. The data encoded in the bar
code will be the same, independently of the bar code selected. The scanners should be able
read any of them, and they are equally supported by handsets.

2.5.2. Sending a 2D bar code to a mobile device

Sending a 2D bar code to a mobile device depends on:
 The mobile network
 The handset
 The transmission (e.g. SMS / email/ application / MMS)

The tables below evaluate the pros and cons of the 4 potential transmission channels, not
including price and penetration, which depend on each country.

SMS link
In this scenario, a link is sent by SMS. The passenger clicks on the link, which opens a
connection to download a page on the phone, containing the 2D bar code.

Pros Cons
Robust enough to incorporate airline branding Need mobile data access to download
No content limitation (within screen display
and device memory)
Easy storage to mobile device wallet (e.g.
Apple Wallet)

Email
In this scenario, the email contains all the flight related information, as well as the 2D bar code as
attachment.

Page | 28
 Pros Cons
Robust enough to incorporate airline branding Needs bar code optimisation for screen
No content limitation (within screen display Low control over how the barcode is
and device memory) displayed
Easy storage to mobile device wallet (e.g. Limited support on mobile devices
Apple Wallet)

Application
In this scenario the passenger has installed an application on the phone. The application has to
update the flight details and generate the 2D bar code.

Pros Cons
2D bar code generated by the application, Requires upfront installation by the user
adapted to the size of the screen Limited support on mobile devices
Robust enough to incorporate airline branding
No content limitation (within screen display
and device memory)
Easy storage to mobile device wallet (e.g.
Apple Wallet)

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

In this scenario the 2D bar code is embedded as an image in the MMS.

Pros Cons
Actual image could be sent in the message Regional differences in coverage
Some countries may require special
permissions to deliver MMS

2.5.3. Size of the 2D bar code displayed

The number of cells of the bar code depends on the number of characters encoded:
 Number of chars * symbology = number of cells

The number of pixels used depends on the number of pixels available on the handset.
 Number of pixels per cell * number of cells = number of pixels
The physical size of the bar code displayed on the handset depends on the resolution of the
handset, i.e. the size of each pixel
 Size of pixel * number of pixels = physical size of bar code

Figure 9 - One bar code cell displayed in 1, 2 or 3 pixel width

It is possible to optimize the size of bar code by increasing the number of pixels per cell (see fig.
12). Reading a bigger bar code should be easier for a scanner, although tests performed by

Page | 29
IATA Strategic Partners did not validate it. If the bar code is smaller due to the high resolution of
a particular device, then it may not scan.

2.5.4. Reading the 2D bar code from the handset

There are several parameters to consider:
 The size of the screen: must be large enough to fit the 2D bar code
 The features enabled: SMS/MMS/email

It is recommended to test handsets and allow only customers handsets that are supported. Other
recommendations include:
 The backlight on the handset is required.
 The passenger should hold the phone.

All scanners are not equal for reading 2D bar codes from mobile phones. There are flat-bed
scanners and mounted scanners:

2D BC scanner Flat bed Mounted Comments

Fix length focus YES NO Higher reading speed
Line of sight of BC NO YES Faster detection of BC

When scanning the bar code, the resolution of the 2D bar code matters, e.g. a module read by
IER must be at least 0.25mm.

2.5.5. Processing mobile BCBP at the gate

Some airlines have chosen to print a receipt at the gate. This may be done during the transition,
but it is not really paperless.
Several reasons have been advanced for issuing a receipt:
 In case of seat change*
 Passenger convenience, who likes to keep a receipt
 Crew convenience, who prefers to see the receipt than read from a phone
 Airline policy, which requires to switch off mobile phones when boarding
Whichever the reason, the goal of mobile BCBP is to go paperless.

*If there has been a seat change (due to aircraft change, standby acceptance or other reason) the system
or the agent will adjust seat numbers without passengers being present. All affected passengers are now
holding a boarding pass, which has invalid seat assignments. In order to avoid manually reissuing
boarding passes at the gate for each passenger (many airports do not even have a boarding pass printer
at the gate), the receipt printers issue receipts with the new seat during boarding, following the AEA
standard. The receipt printer might be cascaded behind a boarding gate reader or integrated in a self-
boarding gate.

2.5.6. Paper specifications

Paper specifications for kiosks are described in Recommended Practice 1706e including:
 Paper Grammage1
 Thickness
 Brightness
 Thermal image optical density
 Thermal image stability
 Plasticizer resistance
 Bar Code scanning

1
Paper grammage is a metric measure of paper weight based on the same square meter sheet of paper,
regardless of paper grade.

Page | 30
  Print head residue

2.5.7. Bar code print quality

The coding of the PDF417 requires several parameters. It is recommended to test the quality of
printing with several test flights, on several readers and papers, before using the bar code in
production. Here is some guidance on the main parameters:
 Narrow bar (element) size: from 0.25 mm (0.010 in; 10 mil).
 Height: minimum of 6.35 mm (0.254 in).
 Ratio: Wide element to narrow element — not less than 3:1.
 Quiet zone — as measured on the face material:
o Minimum: 7 times narrow bar (element): 1.778 mm (0.070 in).
o Preferred 10 times narrow bar (element): 2.54 mm (0.100 in).
 Print Contrast Signal: not less than 80% at a wavelength of 633 nm.

During the test phase, it is recommended to analyze the bar code print quality. ISO/IEC 15415
standard defines the “bar code print quality test specification – Two-dimensional symbols”. The
test provides quality grades on various parameters, using scales with grades from 0 to 4 (see fig.
13).

Codeword Yield Grade

 71% 4
 64% 3
 57% 2
 50% 1
< 50% 0

Figure 10 - Example of grading scale for measuring print quality of a PDF417 bar code

The kind of parameters to be analysed are: codeword yield, symbol contrast, modulation, axial
non-uniformity, grid non-uniformity, unused error correction.

Page | 31
 2.6. Departure Control System
The Departure Control System (DCS) is an airline’s central system for check-in and boarding.

The features offered by a DCS typically include:

 Flight scheduling
 Self-service kiosk and web check-in: displays traveler itineraries, provides interactive seat
maps, verifies flight status and generates boarding passes
 Boarding control: Gate reader verifies passenger information before boarding approval,
ensures accuracy of flight data, identifies boarding anomalies such as duplicate seats
 Aircraft Load Control

The benefits are:

 Self-service kiosk and web check-in: improve customer service, reduce airport queues
 Boarding control: faster, more accurate closeout of flights

To become BCBP capable an airline has to upgrade its DCS so that it supports the IATA 2D bar
code as the default boarding pass solution.

2.6.1. Automated Boarding Control

The Automated Boarding Control (ABC) Recommended Practice 1789 was published by IATA in
1987 and sets the basis for improvement of the:

 Security measures;
 Quality of passenger services functions;
 Accuracy of down-line messages, statistics and revenue accounting;
 Efficiency of airline operations.

Automated Boarding Control (RP1789)

CHECK-IN BP PRINTING
by host computer

BOARDING BP READING
by host computer device

DISPLAY of data on missing

pax

In the Automated Boarding Control process (Recommended Practice 1789), as the host
computer prints the boarding pass at check-in and reads it at boarding, it can display the list of
missing passengers. Or, if the reader is stand-alone, it can display a list of sequence numbers
boarded to identify missing passengers, and the agent can then use the DCS interface to obtain
data on missing passengers.

2.6.2. Common Use Systems

CUPPS is a generic airline industry term defined in Recommended Practice 1797 for a facility
that allows individual users, through a transparent mode to access their host DCS (see fig. 14),

Page | 32
to make the same entries and to get the same responses as they would through their own
terminal equipment, i.e. boarding pass printers and boarding gate readers.

Figure 11 - Data flow in a CUPPS environment

The CRS is the reservation system providing the list of passengers booked for a flight.
The DCS is an application running either on a server that is hosted by the airline in a central
location or on a local airport server.

CUPPS is installed in the airport. CUPPS provides a connection to the DCS and to devices such
as printers and readers.

The bar code printed on the BCBP contains data coming from the CRS through the DCS and
CUPPS. The data, e.g. passenger name, are captured by the reader at the gate and sent back to
the CRS.

Page | 33
 2.6.3. Fraud Prevention
Ill-intentioned persons may falsify their BCBP by changing the flight number or class of service.
They may also simply print two copies of the BCBP and pass one to a friend, or even create a
counterfeit BCBP. Technical solutions exist, e.g. algorithms, called certificates, which can for
example secure the bar code if necessary.

Risk Description Mitigation

Duplicate 2 copies of the same valid Reject second copy of a boarding pass;
boarding pass stop the second person and verify their
identity.
Modified A feature of a valid boarding pass - Check that the passenger is on the PNL
has been modified - Add a certificate to the bar code that
proves that the bar code has been
modified
Forged A forged bar code has been - Check that the passenger is on the PNL
created - Add a certificate to the bar code that
proves that the bar code is not the original

Of course, a forged BCBP will not entitle the person carrying it with any right to travel, nor will it
create any confusion with the system. The official information is stored in the airline’s system.

It is recommended that a disclaimer state on the BCBP that the document itself has no value and
is being issued for ease of processing only.

At certain airports, there is a link between the security checkpoint and the DCS to validate the
BCBP among other things.

Page | 34
3. MEDIA USED AS BOARDING PASSES
The airline industry has decided to use the BCBP standard for 100% of the boarding passes. The
BCBP standard is about boarding data: it enables other technologies to leverage on the data.
Airlines may decide to use other media as boarding passes.

Passenger Technology
Technology Media Maturity
Media Maturity
Mobile phone NFC Medium Medium
Iris or fingerprint Biometrics Medium Medium
or Facial
E-passport RFID Medium Medium

Notes on maturity:
 Low: Trial stage
 Medium: Used by early adopters
 High: Mainstream

3.1. Mobile phones (NFC)

The concept of mobile Radio Frequency (RF) boarding pass is similar to BCBP, except that the
data is stored in a chip. RF is a mature technology, for example for personal access control.
Initiatives such as the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology aim at developing
contactless identification into mobile phones.

The IATA Resolution 791 ‘Specifications for airline industry integrated circuit card (ICC) – version
03’ defines the use of ICC or smart cards. The purpose of Resolution 791 is to support interline
ET. The data contains an element called ‘Boarding data’ of length 60, which is not sufficient to
include the BCBP data. The current ICC standard cannot support the BCBP standard (see fig.
12).

Figure 12 - ICC standard defined in IATA Resolution 791

Page | 35
 3.2. Biometrics
In this concept the boarding pass actually becomes a virtual one. By identifying the passenger
and matching its biometrics to the database, the boarding system will let him/her get on board or
not.

Page | 36
APPENDIX A - RESOURCES
The BCBP standard depends on the work of various groups within IATA, airlines and other
organisations and relies on a series of documentation coming from IATA conferences or other
bodies for standardisation.

A.1 Glossary of Terms

CARRIER
 Validating Carrier: the airline that sold the ticket and whose numeric code is the ticket
number of the flight coupons
 Marketing Carrier: the airline recorded as the transporting carrier on the flight coupons
 Operating Carrier: the airline actually providing the transportation (this may be different
from the Marketing carrier in certain bilateral agreements such as code-share situations)

COMMON USE PASSENGER PROCESSING SYSTEMS (CUPPS) describes the range of

services, specifications, and standards enacted to enable multiple airlines, service providers, or
other users to share physical locations such as check-in desks, bag drops, and gate podium
positions either simultaneously or consecutively.

COMPUTER RESERVATIONS SYSTEM (CRS) / SYSTEM PROVIDER means a computerized

system containing information about schedules, availability, fares and related services, and
through which reservations can be made and/or tickets issued.

DEPARTURE CONTROL SYSTEM (DCS) is an automated method of performing check-in,

capacity and load control and dispatch of flights.

DOCUMENT NUMBER is the unique identification number of a traffic document as outlined in

Recommended Practice 1720a. The document number comprises the airline code, form code,
serial number and a check digit.

ELECTRONIC TICKET (ET) means the Itinerary Receipt issued by or on behalf of the Carrier,
the Electronic Coupons and, if applicable, a boarding document.

ITINERARY RECEIPT means a document or documents forming part of the Electronic Ticket,
which contains the information and notices required in accordance with Resolutions 722f and
722g.

PASSENGER NAME RECORD (PNR) means a record of each passenger’s travel requirements,
which contains all information necessary to enable reservations to be processed and controlled
by the booking and participating airlines.

PECTAB Parametric Table – a pectab defines the locations on a Boarding Pass where data
appears, also for reading.

TICKET means either the document entitled “Passenger Ticket and Baggage Check” or the
Electronic Ticket, in each case issued by or on behalf of Carrier, and including Conditions of
Contract, notices and the Coupons contained in it.

Page | 37
A.2 Industry Groups
Bar Coded Boarding Pass is a highly multi-disciplinary issue and as such has an impact on many
industry functions, practices and standards. The following summarises the main industry groups
involved with BCBP:

A.2.1 Joint A4A/IATA Passenger Services Conference (JPSC)

Responsible for the adoption of Resolutions and Recommended Practices specifying standards
and procedures on Passenger Services related issues, including the Bar Coded Boarding Pass
Resolution.

A.2.2 Passenger Experience Management Group (PEMG)

PEMG reports to JPSC and enables the industry to focus its efforts on standards and solutions
aligned to the end-to-end passenger process. It comprises a range of projects to improve the
travel experience and help reduce unnecessary operational costs to the industry.

The individual Working Groups within PEMG are:

• Fast Travel
• Common Use
• Passenger Facilitation
• Biometrics

A.2.3 BCBP group of experts

The BCBP group of experts is a sub-group of the Common Use Working Group.

A.2.4 Association of European Airlines (AEA)

Defines standards such as AEA 99 for bar code pectab printing and AEA 2016 SSD for switching
pectabs.

A.2.5 International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

ISO and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialised system for
worldwide standardisation. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the
development of International Standards through technical committees established by the
respective organisation to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC technical
committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organisations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In
the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.

Page | 38
A.3 Reference Documents
This document refers to IATA documents as well as other standards. For further information on
those documents, it is recommended to contact the publisher directly.

A.3.1 The BCBP Resolution

The IATA standard is published in the Passenger Services Conference Resolutions Manual as
Resolution 792 ‘Bar Coded Boarding Pass’. A copy of the Resolution is provided on the IATA
PEMG Extranet which is available to IATA and A4A members, ACI members in addition to IATA
Strategic Partners involved in the area of Common Use.

A.3.2 Other Resolutions

Other standards related to our document are published in the Passenger Services Conference
Resolutions Manual:

722c Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass – Version 2 (ATB2)

722e Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass (ATB) and Multiple Purpose Document
(MPD) – Coupon-by-coupon technical specification
728 Code designators for passenger ticket and baggage check
761 Flight numbers
762 Airline Designators
767 Assignment of airline accounting codes and airline prefixes
791 Specifications for airline industry integrated circuit card (ICC) – version 03

A.3.3 Recommended Practices

Also in the Passenger Services Conference Resolutions Manual, we refer to Recommended
Practices:

1008 Glossary of commonly used air passenger terms

1706d Non-ATB document specifications for Common Use Self-Service (CUSS)
Kiosks
1706e Paper specifications – Documents to be printed by a General Purpose
Printer (GPP) in a Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosk
1708 Passenger Name List (PNL) and Additions and Deletions List (ADL)
1789 Automated Boarding Control
1797 Common Use Passenger Processing Systems (CUPPS)

A.3.4 IATA Manuals

IATA provides guidance in several manuals available on the IATA online store:

Airport Development Reference Manual

Airport Handling Manual

A.3.5 The AEA specifications

Most of the ATB printers follow the specifications from the AEA:

ATB Technical Specifications (Edition 2016)

Page | 39
A.3.6 The ISO/IEC standards
We refer to the ISO/IEC for standards such PDF417 or the size of paper:

216 Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter -- Trimmed sizes -- A
and B series
15415 Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — Bar code print quality test specification — Two-dimensional
symbols
15438 Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — Bar code symbology specifications — PDF417
16022 Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — Data Matrix bar code symbology specification
18004 Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — QR Code 2005 bar code symbology specification
24778 Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — Aztec Code bar code symbology specification

Page | 40
APPENDIX B - BCBP SAMPLES
The following pages present samples of BCBP either:

 Printed at home: the BCBP printed at home usually fit on a full page, which is larger than
the ATB stock
 Printed at a kiosk: the BCBP printed at a kiosk are usually provided on plain paper and in
the dimensions of the ATB stock
 Shown on a mobile (e.g. smartphone or iPhone wallet)

We also present alternative bar code and boarding pass formats, for information. There are
several 2D bar code standards on the market, such as Datamatrix, QR Code or Aztec. PDF417
is only one of the 2D bar code symbologies, mainly used for access control, whereas 2D matrix
codes mentioned above are mainly used in the industry, for small parts marking, for example.

Page | 41
B.1 BCBP printed at home

B.1.1 LH Home Printed Boarding Pass

Figure 13 - Sample of LH Home Printed Boarding Pass

Page | 42
B.1.2 KL – Home Printed Boarding Pass

Figure 14 - Sample of KL Home Printed Boarding Pass

Page | 43
B.1.3 UA – Home Printed Boarding Pass

Figure 15 - Sample of UA BCBP Home Printed Boarding Pass

Page | 44
B.1.4 BA - British Airways Web

Figure 16 - Example of web check-in seat selection courtesy of British Airways

Page | 45
Figure 17 - Sample of BCBP printed from the British Airways web site

Page | 46
B.2 BCBP printed at a kiosk

B.2.1 UA - UA kiosk

Figure 18 - Sample of BCBP printed from the UA kiosk

Page | 47
B.3 Mobile BCBP
B.3.1 LH - Lufthansa mobile BCBP

Figure 19 - Sample BCBP iPhone Wallet courtesy of Lufthansa

Page | 48
B.3.2 UA – UA mobile BCBP

Figure 20 - Sample of mobile BCBP courtesy of UA

Page | 49
Figure 21 - Sample of UA smartphone full mobile boarding pass

Page | 50
Figure 22 - Sample of UA iPhone Wallet boarding pass

Page | 51
APPENDIX C - PDF417
PDF417 is a standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), defined in the document ISO/IEC 15438:2001.
According to this standard, the PDF417 symbology is “entirely in the public domain and free of all
user restrictions, licences and fees”. The specifications of the PDF417 provide all the parameters
used to create such a bar code (see fig. 27).

Structure of the PDF417 symbol

Parameter Definition

Quiet zone A quiet zone is a blank margin that prevents the reader from picking up
information that does not pertain to the bar code that is being scanned.
The blank zone will not send any signal, hence the name “quiet”. The
symbol shall include a quiet zone on all four sides with a minimum size of
2X (see X definition below)
Start / stop A special pattern that provides the reader with start / stop instructions as
pattern well as scanning directions.
Left / right row A character that contains information about the structure of the symbol
indicator (number of rows and columns, error correction level)
Data codeword Codewords containing the data. Pad codewords, error correction
codewords and function codewords are also generated.

Figure 23 - Structure of the PDF417 symbol as defined in the ISO/IEC 15438

The name of this symbology derives from the structure of the symbol. The codewords are made
of blocks containing 17 positions or “modules”. The codewords consist of 4 bars and 4 spaces,
each of which can be one to six modules wide (see fig. 28). A codeword is defined by the width
of each element, bar or space.

Page | 52
Figure 24 - PDF417 is composed of 4 elements whose widths add up to 17 modules

Parameter Definition Recommendation

X Width of a module. The X Dimension A minimum X dimension is

should be constant throughout a recommended in the IATA standard
symbol (see Appendix C)
Y Row height. The PDF417 standard recommends
that Y  3X.

Algorithms then relate codewords and ASCII characters. Data compaction schemes are used to
achieve high levels encoding. The text compaction mode encodes up to 2 characters per
codeword. It includes all printable ASCII characters plus three control characters: tab, line feed
and carriage return. In byte compaction mode, the algorithm converts six data bytes to five
PDF417 data codewords. In numeric compaction mode, the algorithm converts 44 consecutive
numeric digits to 15 or fewer PDF417 data codewords. Numeric compaction is used to encode
long strings of consecutive numeric digits.

Although PDF417 is a 2D bar code, it is in reality a stack of 1D bar codes. The decode algorithm
uses scan lines which enables laser scanners that read 1D bar codes to also read PDF417 (see
fig. 29), whereas the laser scanners would not read 2D matrix codes.

Figure 25 - Schematic showing a scan line crossing rows of the PDF417 symbol

Page | 53
The main reason for selecting 2D bar codes instead of 1D bar codes is that they can store more
data in a given space. Airlines can play with the settings to fit as much data as possible on the
boarding pass.

Here are some examples of how the size of the bar code varies depending on the number of
characters. The settings used for the following examples are:

EC level 3
X dim 0.03cm
X to Y ratio 3
Number of columns adapted to the number of characters

Example 1:
 Content: 36 characters
 String: QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890
 Width: 5 Columns
 Size: 4.5 x 1.0 cm
 Bar code:

Example 2:
 Content: 108 characters
 String:
QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVB
NM1234567890 QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890
 Width: 5 Columns
 Size: 4.5cm x 1.5cm
 Bar code:

Example 3:
 Content: 324 characters
 String:
QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVB
NM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASD
FGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QW
ERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1
234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGH
JKLZXCVBNM1234567890
 Width: 9 Columns
 Size: 6.3 x 2.0 cm
 Bar code:

Page | 54
APPENDIX D - AZTEC
Aztec is defined in ISO/IEC 24778.

Structure of code:

Size and capacity:

Page | 55
APPENDIX E - DATAMATRIX
Datamatrix is defined in ISO 16022.

There are two types: ECC 200, using Reed-Solomon error correction, which is recommended,
and ECC 000 to 140, using levels of convolutional error correction.

Size and capacity:

Page | 56
APPENDIX F - QR CODE

QR code is defined in ISO 18004.

QR code has 4 levels of error correction (Reed-Salomon), allowing recovery of a percentage of

codewords

Encoding Kanji characters

The size of the code is called a version. Version 14 of QR code has 73 modules:

Capacity in codewords :

Page | 57
Page | 58
Capacity in alphanumeric characters

Page | 59